A Slum Is A Slum Of Course, Of Course

It seems that there are Indians not too happy about the portrayal of the poverty in the the movie Slumdog Millionaire.  I have not yet seen the movie but my brother has.  After me telling him of the conditions I saw and documented while being driven around the streets of Dehli, it wasn't until seeing a glimpse of it did he believe me.  The funny thing was that we've both seen and been in the slums of Sao Paulo and Rio De Janiero in Brazil.  We thought those sucked.  When he saw the level of poverty in that movie, he was dumbfounded.

Every country should have a tour highlighting the way the poor live.  I remember when we were at a party in Rio and we met a group of ladies from Atlanta.  In the course of the evenings conversation, they told us they were going on a slum tour to "see the other side of Brazil".  We both thought, "Uhm, other side?  Just look around!  Everybody's poor! " 

The movie should at least make those watching it grateful for what they have if not entertain them.  In this case, it should also force people to come to terms with the conditions of the poor so that they can move beyond it and hopefully help the poor out.  No offense should be taken in either regard.  It is what it is.

Currently watching: Gran Torino [Theatrical Release]

Note: This was originally posted on MySpace with comments at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=16074757&blogId=467603626